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 MMA
Star Tara
LaRosa: New Jersey's Toughest Woman
If you thought
Millicent Fenwick or Carmela Soprano....zonk.
The toughest woman to come out of the New Jersey
pine barrens is none other than Tara LaRosa, perhaps
the most recognized female Mixed Martial Arts
fighter. One
thing cannot be denied about the
Bodog Fight
organization....okay, two things: 1) Bodog
Fight founder Calvin Ayre will always be prettier
than his female fighters, even though some of his
female fighters are downright hot, including the
attractive Tara LaRosa. And 2) Bodog Fight
has built one of the most impressive niches in MMA -
that being female fighting. Ms. LaRosa
is the first to praise that aspect of Bodog Fight
and proudly represents this achievement. And if you have
never seen a women's MMA fight - trust us - it's the
most exciting event featuring women in all sports!
Our own Stanley Woo
caught up with Tara LaRosa this past weekend while
filming the new series of Bodog Fight. LaRosa
is expected to be appearing in the next Bodog Fight
pay per view installment along with champions Eddie
Alvarez scheduled to shoot soon at an undisclosed
location, though Sports911.com is hearing through
the grapevine that Bodog is considering Abu Dhabi.
Miami has also been mentioned.
Sometimes when I look in the mirror, I flex and
think to myself. “Sammy you are one buff guy” I
mean, my kill rate in
Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Vegas is off the chart.
That right, Sammy Woo gets the ladies. I am
after all a very distant cousin of Gambling911.com's
own sizzling hot female reporter, Jenny Woo.
But reporting and interviewing fighters at the
latest Bodog Fight in Vancouver Canada makes me feel
like the skinny character in the back of the comic
book getting sand kicked in my face. A one pack just
does not cut it at an event like this. I don’t know
what the odds of me getting lucky but Bodog
sportsbook odds are not looking to good in my favor.
The over under odds are even worse.
Getting a chance to interview some of the fighters
you really appreciate the skill these fighters
possess. My first interview was with current 135
pound Bodog fight women’s champion Tara Larosa. She
is the ultimate femme fatale – alluring,
seductive
and deadly at the same time. When not fighting in
the ring, Larosa
is a hand-to-hand combat instructor at Fort Bragg.
In addition to being an expert grappler, she's a
Jiu-Jitsu purple belt, a Muay Thai competitor, Judo
tournament champion and was a runner-up of 2005 ADCC
World Championships in the Absolute division.
Basically she is an ass kicker.
Read my interview with Tara Larosa
Q: Hi Tara thanks for sitting down and talking with
me here today
A: Thanks, pleasure to be here and represent Bodog
Fight
Q: How does it feel to the be the Bodog Fight
Women’s champion
A: Great, I hope to be champion and represent Bodog
for a long time now.
Q: Right now you are considered to be pound for
pound one of the best women’s fighters in the world.
Who would you like to fight next?
A: I’ll fight any women out there in the 135 or even
the 125 weight division. I’m not sacred of any girl;
whoever Bodog Fight puts in front of me I’ll fight.
Just put them in the ring and I’m ready to fight.
Q: Anyone else?
A: Well I think
Amanda Buckner deserves another fight with me. We
put on a really good show and that was one of the
most entertaining woman’s fights of all time. She
fought hard and deserves another shot and I think
the rematch will prove to be another outstanding
fight.
Q: Outcome?
A: Oh I’d still win but it would be a fight for the
ages.
Q: Anyone else?
A: I like the way Carina Damm fights. She has heart
and great striking abilities but either she would
have to move up in weight or me move down. If she
moves up I’ll overpower her and that extra weight
might slow her down. If I move down in weight I’ll
be faster and still have my power.
Q: So describe your game?
A: Well most people think I’m just a ground girl
since of my judo, jujitsu and grappling background
but I love the stand up game. I’ll stand up and
trade with anyone and I love just getting in the
ring and start banging. I work hard everyday to be
the best on the ground and at stand up.
Bodog Fight founder
Calvin Ayre promises many more years of his fight
organization. Here he poses with the ultra
loyal and very virginal Fawn Seeton, his loyal
assistant, and the ever affable host of Extra, John
Kelly, whose last segment before retirement will be
on Bodog.
Q: Plus you were runner-up of 2005 ADCC World
Championships in the Absolute division.
A: Smiles – that helps
Q: So to be the complete fighter like you just said,
where are you training when you not in New Jersey?
A: Right now I am training at
Charles Chainsaw McCarthy’s school in Florida who
just opened up a
satellite school for American Top
Team (ATT) in the Boca/Delray area. He is an amazing
jujitsu teacher.
Q: Who you training with these days to fine tune
your game?
A: I’ve been rolling with Cole Miller and his ground
game is through the roof.
If you don’t know Cole Miller he was on the latest
season of The Ultimate Fighter Reality show.
Basically he kicks ass and if I was in the ring with
him I would soil myself.
Q: So how has Bodog treated you?
A: They are the best, just incredible. How can you
go wrong with such a great organization? They are
single handedly raising the profile of MMA fighting
for women.
Q: I see you are carrying the Bodog Fight belt with
you, may I hold it?
A: Sure, just don't drop it.......Sammy!....YOU
BROKE MY BELT!!!!!
Q: Man it was real heavy; it was a workout just
carrying it. It's not broke though. See,
you just use some of that glue they spray in
Calvin's hair and joila. It's fixed!
*Note: Sammy did not really break Tara's belt and
Tara expressed how truly proud she was to have it.
Q: So what’s next for Tara?
A: I want to be champion in both the 135 and 125
pound women’s division. I want to be the women’s
version of Randy Couture and hold belts in two
different weight classes.
Q: Thanks for your time Tara.
A: You’re welcome.
----
Sammy
Woo, Sports911.com
Originally published August 28, 2007 11:59 pm ET
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